I guess cheesecake is out...

Am feeling a bit perplexed regarding the soft cheese issue. What's the problem if it comes from an appropriately refrigerated unit, fully sealed with a good used-by date? People are saying feta is out... what about philadelphia cheese... that's soft. Cheesecake made using gelatine uses an uncooked soft cheese. I know it's a fine line between caution and over caution but I can't help feeling I'm being irresponsible if I don't stress over every mouthful. I also feel a little sorry for the first timers (pregnancies) out there being made to worry about something that has a very low chance of occuring (food poisoning) if common sense is used. Another danger is that they will not be as vigilant regarding food that are deemed "safe" so, for example.... they'll go and buy a hot chicken roll from a vendor who has a very low turnover and has them sitting there on low heat all day... she will think to herself "oh, can't have sushi... this is meant to be okay though" NOT! C'mon girls, if we're going to obsess about this issue then lets keep it within reason and not monitor every posting about food as a chance to whip us into a frenzy at the risk of missing real dangers.

awww no cheesecake, had never even thought of that. It's my biggest AF craving. With first preg loved crabsticks, but gave them up. Now that I have discovered cheesecake, even though I probably shouldnt obsess, I will probably give it up when I fall.

Helen

Maybe I will lose some weight- hehehehe

I have still eaten soft cheeses... I love Brie & Camembert.... but I only eat it if I have brought it & throw it out after 3 days..... At least you know how it has been stored..

I have also deep fried crumbed brie at a resturant...

Cream cheese is fine, it's the brie and camembert etc that aren't.
So that means it's a greenlight for cheesecake!

Ok when it comes to soft cheeses it goes like this...

Pasturised is ok...

I know the following cheeses are pasturised:

King Island ie. their brie, double & triple cream *homer drool*

Philidelphia spreadable and cream cheese in a block for making a cheesecake. So you can eat cheesecake providing it has been made with a pasturised cheese or is baked :D

Hope that makes sense, I went through my first pregnancy not eating anything and being rather glum about it all, you can imagine my relief excitement and suprise when I found out I could still have some things I just had to be picky ;)

*hugs*
Cailin

*Edited to add: Some international cream cheeses aren't pasturised so please make sure you check the label before consumption ;)

OMG cheesecake is a possibility, you have made my day

oh dear tulip... if it makes you feel any better I've been through 2 pregnancies and not avoided a thing. I still eat sushi but only from a particularly hygenic and popular outlet... most of my friends are the same and I've never heard of any cases of poisoning. My point was don't stress about WHAT you can or can't eat... stress about HOW it is manufactured and stored! Thankyou Cailin for pointing out that Brie and Camembert are safe as long as they are pasturised! :)

I too eat everything. Have had a fair amount of soft cheese because Dr said if it's pasturised it's fine, so have had brie and camenbert. Cheesecake is fine. I've had fetta. The only thing I haven't had is raw fish and oysters. Can't trust my local!! but really it does get a bit carried away. Especially when I say to Doc that I accidentally ate something (eg soft serve ice cream, smoked salmon etc ) and he says no worries!!!
Just enjoy and don't worry too much. xo

All Australian cheeses are pasturised by law. Very rarely European cheeses are not.

Awww Tulip you sound just like I did!

Eating leftovers is ok as long as they are heated to piping hot. The heating will kill any bacteria as long as it is to piping hot. I continued with my leftovers for lunch at work but made sure they were super hot.

I had the ham problem as well, I was worried about Christmas as we always have ham. I had a little bit but heated it up just in case.

I was a bit funny with eggs as well, but that was my one naughty thing - I had a few fried eggs that weren't quite cooked all the way through 8-[

I ended up eating a lot of fruit & yoghurt at work, I just made sure I got the little tubs of yoghurt & made sure they stayed cold the whole time. I made lots of salads, green & fruit. Ummm, muesli bars, homemade muffins, cruskits with vegemite & lettuce.

Pasturised as far as I know has been heated to get rid of any nasties like salmonella, e-coli & listeria. However there is no guarentee that unpasturised cheeses are clear of this if that makes sense...

If I'm wrong can someone correct me please!

I actually didn't know about the australian law! So there ya go, any cheese from australia is safe...and to think I've been spending big on only buying Kind Island...hmmm maybe I'll keep that one to myself and not tell Marc :whistle: J/K ;) French cheeses as far as I know are the higher unpasturised ones...There's actually a big "cheese debate" about allowing aussie cheesemakers the right to make cheese from unpasturised milk. Apparently its only been recent that unpasturised international cheeses have been allowed on the market. Thanks Bathsheba for bringing the cheese law thing up as I had to go research it LOL for my own interest!

You know what I can't wait for ham at Christmas as ham off the bone is the only ham I'd trust as I know its pregnancy friendly.

*hugs*
Cailin

Tulip, i often had reheated leftovers when pg, because i had cooked it and reheated it myself i knew it was ok. i only did it the next day of course.

i agree that you need to be careful, but not to get too worried about it if you slip up (i had soft serve ice creams a few times before i even remembered that i wasnt supposed to!!)

*L* I'd been so good about not eating soft serve icecream as I'm not really a fan, until I had a chocolate thickshake the other day and realised they'd made it with soft serve icecream anyway! oops.... #-o

I think Bathsheba makes a great point though...just about any food could be dangerous if not cooked or stored/manufactured correctly. Perhaps it's wise not to stress so much about what foods specifically are no go; as just be careful about certain manufacturing methods that might make it a risk for listeria.

With reference to deli meats (ham, assorted sliced meat etc), the biggest issue is really handling procedures in most supermarkets. It's not so much that ham itself is bad; it's just that their handling procedures (or lack thereof) can lead to cross contamination from other foods.

Soft cheeses are not really a concern unless made from unpasturised milk...if you are a little concerned (even if you've read the label and know it's probably ok because it's an Australian cheese), just eat it in moderation.

If you think about it, our mothers and their mothers didn't have the benefit of information about 'good foods' and 'bad foods' whilst pregnant. Yes, sadly some small amount of babies were probably affected by listeria but for the most part, all of us turned out ok didn't we? *L*

**wishes she had baked cheesecake in the house**

Tulip - to be honest, I never even considered that concept. I LIVED on chocolate paddle-pops and Magnums during my morning sickness; not to mention copious amounts of buckets of icecream! *L* I never once considered it might be made with parts of egg. Surely the level of temperature it's frozen at would kill any potential germs?

Re Cold Meats - The midwife at my prelim antenatal class went through a hugh list of what not to eat and cold meat was one of them

Though she did say if you get it freshly sliced for you and eat it the same day it is OK. I do this occasionally and it takes great

i never even knew ice cream had eggs in it!!! :-s

Not all icecream has egg in it.

Ladies - Some info on icecream - I work at Nestle Ice Cream and I have just checked with our Applications department.

She is checking more info for me but said that not many products would have raw egg in it and it does. All products are pasturised and have to pass Quality checks so would have no problems with Listeria.

I work here so I eat an ice cream every day

what a great job you have Kelly!!! \:D/

It's so confusing.

I have read that ricotta cheese is bad but cottage cheese is good. What's the difference!!???? Also, other sources say ricotta is good 8-[

Hey guys,

I wouldn't be worried about food if you handle it and cook it yourself (that is if you cook and store it well). It is the take away food that you need to become aware of as you dont know how long it has been sitting there. Meat is a bit scary but veggies should be fine. For example, if you make a potato salad on saturday you can still eat it on monday as well depending on what is in it and how it has been stored. Even with salads. It is meat that should only be eaten the next day and thrown out after that (that is me anyway).
It is VERY different if you purchase a potato salad from Coles etc. i would not even go near them as they have probably been in the packet for several weeks. YUCK.

Not all ice creams have raw egg in them. be aware of the restaurants that serve ice cream on your plate. It will most likely be made there and contains raw egg (that is why it tastes sooo nice). So always ask. I made that mistake once but it is usally fine if the place is clean.

I have a pregnant friend who eats everything except for seafood and soft cheeses, anything else she doesnt care. I guess it depends on the individual.

Hope this helps

Nestle makes Peters Ice Cream